1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method for processing an image-forming material and, particularly, to a treatment in which a light-sensitive resin composition layer is treated with certain organic solvents miscible with water or with a mixture of certain organic solvents and water to remove completely non-image portions after it has been exposed to light and developed.
2. Description of the Prior Art
There are two types of image-forming material wherein light-sensitive resins are developed with developing solutions. These materials are classified according to the development technique which is used to form the image areas: one is a dissolution type material wherein the non-image areas are completely dissolved in the developing solution, and the other is a falling-off type material wherein materials which have been imagewise exposed are partially dissolved in the developing solutions or are changed in quality such that the image-forming layer can be imagewise removed from the support by rubbing or similar mechanical treatments. Which type of developing method is used depends upon the light-sensitive resins making up the light-sensitive layer, the developers used and further, the combination of the two. Accordingly, based on light-sensitive resins per se an image-forming material cannot absolutely be classified as one type or the other type. However, from the standpoint of a developing solution used, many of the light-sensitive resins which are developable with organic solvents generally belong to the dissolution type, and many of the light-sensitive resins developable with alkaline solutions generally belong to the falling-off type.
In case of development of the falling-off type of material, in order to obtain complete delamination of the light-sensitive layer in the areas to be removed, it is generally necessary to continuously rub the surface of the light-sensitive layer using soft rotary brushes or the like while the material is dipped in a developing solution and/or in a washing bath. Conventional automatic developing machines are usually provided with such rubbing devices and some problems result. For example, the size of automatic developing machines must be made large, large machines are more expensive, and, further, the number of devices in the machine which must be maintained and inspected is increased.